Heat and Peru

It is as hot as Hades in Paris. Yesterday it was 97 degrees, today a balmy 95, and tomorrow our cold front moves in bringing temperatures all that way down to 80. This may not seem like a huge climate change to any of you folks living with air conditioning but when there is no AC and you spend most of the day in a tiny hot kitchen over a stove any relief is welcome.

Today was a fun day regardless of the heat, 6 of my fellow Cordon Bleu students and I had the opportunity to assist two Peruvian chefs prepare a 10 dish tasting at the Peruvian embassy. Chef Hervé Galidie is from Lima and Chefs Lourdes Pluvinage has a Peruvian restaurant here in Paris.  

Chef Hervé Galidie left his Michelin starred restaurant Le Jardin to move to Lima with his Peruvian wife. He now owns and operate Hervé in Lima. It was amazing to be able to help prepare his dishes and learn how he combines French techniques with Asian and Peruvian flavors. 

Chef Lourdes Pluvinage is a well know chef in Paris and is most recognized for her fresh Peruvian style dishes that she serves at El Picaflor her restaurant in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. Food critics consider it the best and most authentic Peruvian restaurant in the city.

The goal of this tasting menu was to highlight a fish from the Amazon river in Peru. The fish called Airapama or Paiche is said to be a living fossil and is usually seen on Discovery channel shows like River Monsters, rarely has it been seen on any western persons dinner plate. Commercial fishing of this fish was outlawed by the Brazilian government due to over fishing however recently advances in farm breeding techniques have been made and this fish can now be farm raised. 

 

Despite the heat and the long hours it was a wonderful expirence to work with two accomplished chefs and to get away from strictly traditionl French food and flavors for a day. Oh and at the end of my 9 hours of volunteer work Chef was so appreciative of all of our hard she gave us all a nice tip. Hey mom look 30 euro for 9 hours, I will be supporting myself in no time, haha.

Quote of the Day

"... it is curious how seldom the the all-importance of food is recognized. You see statues everywhere of politicians, poets, bishops, but none to cooks, or bacon-curers, or market gardeners."
                                 ~George Orwell

Mon apartment

Sometimes my apartment in Paris reminds me of James Stuart's apartment in Rear Window, well minus the whole murder plot thing.

My apartment is in the back of my building facing the courtyard. It is a very quiet building, mostly old people but I have come to know them by their little daily routines. There is the couple who lives below me, one of the plays the piano every evening from 7 to 8 and they are very good. There is the woman who walks her ancient bulldog and think it takes her 30 junkets to walk halfway down the block. There is the young couple above me who seem to work the oddest hours and come and go all day long. There is the 30 something single guy who lives 3 floors down and seriously need to reconsider his suit size, he does not have the physique for a slim cut European suit.

Just some thoughts about the characters who inhabit 17 Rue Saint Romain


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Starbucks!

Starbucks opened 2 blocks from school. Making me one very happy American in Paris

Amsterdam with Alena and Jesus

This past week Alena came to visit which was so much fun. It is great to have people from home to explore Paris but even more exciting to go to different cities with. It is hard with my funky schedule to get away for a few days. But Alena's friend Jesus was in town visiting his sister so she had someone to visit all the sights with while I was in class. Now before you all think that my friend Alena is a prophet or knows the Son of God on a first man basis let me give you some back story.

Alena had to go to Shanghai for work at the beginning of the year and while out one night she met this very nice gentleman from Spain who also happened to be working in Shanghai. His name happened to be Jesus, he is not currently seated at the right hand of the Father.


Anyway Alena really wanted to see Amsterdam and I had never been so we though it would be a good idea to take a weekend trip, it is only 3 hours away by train. The only problem was I had class on Saturday so I could only go for one night, long story short it was decided that I would meet Alena and Jesus in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is a beautiful city we did all the usual things tourists do when going to Amsterdam,

went to coffee shops,

saw girls in windows, got invited to a "live fucky, fucky show" (Mom maybe it was the same guy who invited you...)

and in general went out and caused some ruckus.  Such as

Jesus dancing on a table....

And every story can be ended with the punchline, I went to Amsterdam with Jesus (Alena I think we need  T-shirts)

What happens when a WASP, a Jew, and Jesus walk into a bar in Amsterdam?
Everything...

In short the whole weekend started to sound like a crazy joke ....

More pictures to follow.

Cannes

I just got back to Paris from an amazing trip to Cannes. I played on the beach for a week. I know all you desk jockeys are jealous. I met some really interesting people, and as most of you know I am terrible at taking pictures so there are no photographic evidence of some of this crazies, but use you imagination.

1. The couple who looked like Mr. And Mrs. Clause. Santa spent his days lounging by the beach in a speedo and Mrs Clause was always dressed in head to toe Chanel, Dolce and Gabbana, or Dior on a daily basis.

2. The model/beachwear and bathing suit coverup seller who would strut up and down the beach changing her cover-up every few steps, a seriously fascinating show to watch

4. French lifeguard who was modeling his life after the Hoff in Baywatch, and is most likely older than the Hoffman is now.

5. My personal favorite was the mechanical engineer from New Zealand who works on a mega motor yacht has not had a home in almost 3 years and is a semi-pro windsurfer. I don't know how one can be a semi-pro wi Deirdre while living and working on a yacht but he was really cute so i did not ask questions.

Again I apologize for no pictures, those of you who know me well know how adverse I am to taking pictures and that if I ever have children there will probably be no baby pictures.

Hope your imaginations could paint a decent picture of the people watching I experienced on the beach.

Anyway back to school today


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Rain, rain, go away

Beautiful day in Cannes yesterday, got a great start to my week of tanning but today Pepe and I woke up to a serious thunderstorm. Since it is Sunday and all the shops are closed there is not much to do.

Thunder and lightening! Pepe is not a happy little puppy.

Good thing we have lots of books.


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Location:Boulevard de la Croisette,Cannes,France

Quote of the Day

“The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering."
                              ~Ben Okri

I PASSED!!!